Change on the Horizon
by TruetobeBlue
Summary: For Knuckles, the horizon is nothing more than a part of a routine. However, when one Amy Rose decides to visit, add some revelations and revealed feelings, waking up to a new day may once again be something to look forward to. Knux/Amy


**A/N: A KnuxAmy? Strange for me, I know. However this is a very special fic, a present if you will to a good friend of mine, ladyamalphia. Not only is she a great author, but she's one of the nicest girls I've ever met. Please, check her stories out, girl's a genius…she just don't know it yet.**

**So I hope you and her will enjoy reading **_**Change on the Horizon.**_

They say that things of natural beauty can be seen multiple times, yet still hold the same feeling of wonder and awe each time it is seen.

Knuckles, guardian of the Master Emerald and the last remaining echidna, couldn't agree more.

He had been here all his life, for as long as he could remember, and the view from the Master Emerald shrine had always been the same.

Each time the sun rose from the horizon, he could see it in its full glory. There was the vast ocean that was situated under the island, its cerulean glow never dimming. Then there was Emerald Coast to the right, with its numerous golden sandy that reflected the light of the sun's brilliant rays. Far to the left was Mystic Ruins, with its rivers, trees and animals that painted a picture of a quaint little forest.

Being part of job that included sitting down in front of a giant gem 24 hours a day, there wasn't really any other choice than to look at the view.

Knuckles allowed himself to smile. At least it wasn't an eyesore.

Like the rise and setting of the sun, it had become something of a routine for the echidna. Wake up, guard Master Emerald, look at view, eat and sleep. Rinse and repeat, with Eggman occasionally filling in with some distractions. Personally, he preferred the quiet peaceful life he usually had.

Knuckles looked at the Master Emerald, its magnificent lustre ever apparent even after so many years. Like the view before him, it hadn't changed in the slightest since he had first laid eyes on it. Would it ever change? Would anything ever change?

Would he always be alone?

He shook his head. His very reason for being was right here on this island, away from the world. No matter what happened, nothing would change that. He had to stay here, no matter what. The guardian looked forward again, expecting to see the same horizon.

Only now he was looking into two curious emerald eyes.

"Hey Knuckles!"

Knuckles blinked a few times, letting the shock silently go through him. Soon enough however, he jumped back and went into a fighting stance in front of the Master Emerald, ready to protect it at all costs.

"How rude! Is that anyway to say hello?"

Knuckles growled slightly upon properly seeing the intruder and reverted to a normal stance. "Amy Rose."

And so it was. The pink hedgehog, self-proclaimed girlfriend of Sonic the Hedgehog, was standing right at the edge of the shrine and right in front of where Knuckles was previously sitting.

Amy smiled pleasantly. "You're not still doing it right. Where's the hello?"

Knuckles ignored the remark. "What do you want? And what are you doing on my island? Sonic isn't here."

"I'm not looking for Sonic, silly. What on earth gave you that idea?"

Knuckles fought the urge to give a rude answer. "Then what are you doing here?"

Amy coyly stroked her quills and shrugged. "Is it so wrong to visit an old friend?"

Knuckles scoffed. "Riiiiight. If I'm such an old friend, how come this is your first social visit? Come on Amy, I'm not an idiot. Cut the act."

Amy's cheerful exterior evaporated there and then, only to be replaced by an annoyed and an offended one. "How mean! So what if this is my first, I'm still here! Don't say you're not an idiot when you're acting like one!"

"And how am I acting like an idiot?"

"For not realising I'm here to see you!"

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "The only person you ever want to see is Sonic. But whatever…"

Knuckles stepped back down to his original sitting spot, ignoring the huffing of the pink hedgehog, before sitting down to look upon the horizon once more. Amy carried on seething herself before finally sighing and sitting on a step above to where Knuckles was sitting.

Silence took over, being disturbed only by the soft whistling of the breeze and the various cries of the wild animals below.

"Is this all you ever do?"

Knuckles gave a quiet growl and turned towards Amy. The pink hedgehog was twiddling her thumbs and looked at a loss on what to say. Knuckles gave a small sigh. Perhaps he should be less hard on her; there was no harm in that. "Yes, this is my daily routine I guess."

Amy almost seemed taken aback to the fact Knuckles had replied at all, and hurriedly responded. She obviously wanted to establish some sort of conversation. "But why? This island is so beautiful and wondrous, why do you keep yourselves routed to one spot? It must be pretty boring just staying in one place."

Instead of replying, Knuckles simply sniggered.

Amy raised an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic sound from the guardian. "What's so funny?"

Knuckles turned to the girl, a small smirk highlighting his features. "What's funny is how you suddenly have this vast knowledge of the island, yet you yourself admitted that you haven't been here very often, let alone actually explore the place. What makes it so wondrous Amy?"

Amy's eyes widened slightly before she rubbed the back of her head in a discomfited fashion. "Well, Sonic said…"

"Stop right there."

"Huh?"

Knuckles sighed. "Tell me Amy, how much do you know about Angel Island…"

"I was about to say before you interrupted!"

"…which Sonic hasn't told you about?"

Amy opened her mouth to speak, yet no words could escape her mouth. Knuckles took this as a sign that she didn't know anything and chuckled.

"I thought not."

"Well, it doesn't matter! Anyone can see that it's beautiful!"

Knuckles scoffed. "Of course it is."

"Then why are you complaining?"

Knuckles shrugged. "It just annoys me when people hang off the words of other people."

This time it was Amy's turn to scoff. "Is that from your experiences with Eggman?"

Knuckles let a frown grace his lips. "I guess. Not that it matters. Like I said, this place is beautiful but yet you only think it is because Sonic does. What does that say about you?"

Amy's brows furrowed slightly. "I dunno. Why don't you explain, I mean you're on a roll, why stop now?"

"I think it says how you let that hedgehog lead every bit of your life, you don't make any decisions for you, just for him. You cater to him at every opportunity just to make him happy."

Amy scoffed. "I do not! Sonic doesn't rule my life, how could you even think that?"

"Well, what about today?"

"Apart from that!"

Knuckles smirked thinly. "Then how about when Sonic went away for 2 years? You were desolate, heartbroken. You sometimes spent days at a time in your house, not wanting to go out to the world if he wasn't there. Heck, you even made up an imaginary boyfriend and tried to make him jealous when he returned!"

Amy could only manage a growl in response, inciting the echidna to continue.

"So y'see? Even when Sonic went away, you still let him rule your life. I find that rather sad to be honest."

At this, Amy got up and stomped past the echidna before turning and giving him the darkest glare she could muster. Knuckles didn't even blink.

"Now you listen here mister! For your information, everyone was upset when Sonic left us! Even you, I may add!"

Knuckles shrugged nonchalantly. "Of course, Sonic is my friend; any normal person would be a little upset. But I got over it. Tails, his supposed best friend, got over it. Heck, everyone got over it. Except you. We all lived without Sonic, you didn't and could not. Need I add that whenever he was here, you chased him round like a rabid animal? You let his very presence rule all your actions, and you know it."

Amy's rage dispelled in an instant as the hard truth hit her. She knew he was right, they both did. When Sonic had left she had been near inconsolable, all meaning in life seemed to disperse as soon as he did. She didn't know why, but that was just the effect he had on him. She couldn't even call it blind love; she could only call it pathetic.

The pink hedgehog turned away from Knuckles and sat down to look at the same view that Knuckles had been looking at before. The echidna found it odd that Amy was doing the very same thing that she had called "boring", but didn't act on it. He was just glad that silence had once again taken over.

The said silence was shattered when he heard faint whimpering come from Amy, it was obvious that she was crying, and it was even more obvious that she was trying her utmost to not let it show. Resisting the urge to sigh, Knuckles stood up and sat beside Amy, who subsequently turned her head away. In doing so, she let out a whimper and continued to do so quietly at irregular intervals.

Knuckles didn't move. He didn't even make a sound. Perhaps he had been a bit harsh, but her whimpering gave him some hope that she was letting it all out in a peaceful way, rather than crushing everything in sight with her hammer. He could only imagine the reaction the others would have if he was forced to knock her out. Despite himself, he found it pretty amusing, especially the thought of Sonic's reaction to it.

"Can I ask you something?"

Noticing that Amy hadn't looked at him when giving her request, Knuckles gave a simple "Yes" and waited.

"What makes us so different?" the sound in which she asked was barely above a whisper.

Knuckles found that he had been caught off-guard. "What do you mean?"

Amy slowly turned around to face the echidna, and in doing so revealed her damp yet glistening eyes. "I mean that you said Sonic ruled my life, right? Wouldn't it be fair to say the Master Emerald does the same to you?"

The eyes of the echidna widened quickly before quickly narrowing once more. "I wouldn't say that. How do you figure?"

Amy rubbed any remaining dampness of her eyes before continuing. "It's easy. I mean, you spend all of your time simply sitting here with a tough-guy scowl all because of the Master Emerald. Wouldn't you that that, in a way, it's ruling your life as well?"

"Actually I…"

Amy held up her hand to silence the echidna, and when he responded as such, a small smile crept onto her features for the first time in a while. "Also, remember when the Master Emerald broke, _twice_? Both times you chased the pieces like a rabid animal. That sounds an awful lot like how I supposedly chase Sonic, doesn't it?"

"But you can't possibly compare Sonic to mmmph!"

The muffled sound came courtesy of Amy putting her hand across the mouth of echidna, halting his impending argument once more. "Now Knuckles, you should always let a lady finish." The fact that Amy's smile had grown to a mocking smirk told Knuckles that she was enjoying this period of conversational superiority.

"Now…" she started slowly, as if to increase the amount of time she could keep Knuckles silent. "…would you also say that you would be inconsolable if, say, the Master Emerald was lost for ever?"

Knuckles lightly gripped Amy's hand and pulled it away, yet instead of retorting, he just gave a simple nod. This seemed to satisfy Amy, and her smile became smaller, losing the smugness that had previous inhabited her face. Instead, it was replaced by something else: understanding.

"Can you honestly say that we're much different? Really?"

"No." Knuckles muttered. "I guess we're similar in many ways."

Amy chuckled lightly. "That's pretty shocking, huh?"

"Yep."

Silence briefly overcame the pair again before Amy disrupted it. "Though there is a big difference, if you think about it."

"And what would that be?"

Amy's head fell as she looked at the floor. "Sonic doesn't seem as dedicated to me as you are to the Master Emerald. I mean, when it went missing, nothing else mattered to you other than retrieving it. If something happened to me, I'm not sure Sonic would show the same level of determination to rescue me."

"Is that what you want out of him? To show you the same dedication to you as I do to the Master Emerald?"

Amy nodded. "I guess so. I always figured that showing my dedication to him would inspire him to do the same one day. I guess that's why I chase him so much, and why I feel so bad when he's not around. Like you said, it's sad."

Knuckles sighed and closed his eyes in thought. "I didn't mean it like that. Being dedicated to someone is great Amy; it's just the way you show it in your actions. They come off as being more obsessed than dedicated, and on one can find that attractive in someone."

Amy let that mocking smirk reveal itself once more. "You know a lot for a macho man loner guardian like yourself. I'm impressed!"

Knuckles scoffed but smiled nonetheless. "I'm just stating the obvious, it's not my fault your head is thicker than your hammer."

Amy gave a face of mocked insult before giggling to herself. "And a joker too. Are you sure you're not Sonic in disguise?"

Knuckles let a small frown replace his previous smile. "If I were Sonic, I'd like to think I would be a bit more appreciative of the friends I have around me. I envy him for that." Knuckles paused for a second and glared at Amy. "Don't tell him i said that. Ever."

"Don't worry, I won't. Amy started,"But i don't get what you mean, you have lots of friends!"

"Oh really? Let's think about it. Barring Sonic and Tails, who could I call a friend? "

"Actually I…"

Amy was interrupted when she felt the huge gloved hand of the echidna cover her mouth. She glared at Knuckles as hard as she could, though his cocky smirk said that he didn't really care. Instead he started talking once more.

"Let's see. Shadow? No, we're more like allies. Cream? Nah, barely know her. I'm not even considering Rouge. Same goes for Eggman. I like Blaze, but again I barely know her. Babylon Rogues? They're annoying as hell. Same goes for Big. I haven't seen the Chaotix too much recently either. So really, only two friends? I'd hardly call that "lots".

Amy gripped his outreached arm and forced it away from her mouth, which was no mean feat considering his strength. "I was going to say me! Don't you consider me a friend?"

"Of course, why do you think I left you out of the list of names?"

Amy's eyes widened. "You mean you knew? You just wanted me to say it out loud, didn't you!"

Knuckles chuckled. "Yep. It worked didn't it?"

"Yeah, but I don't see why you needed to hear it, I mean if you knew so already…"

"I am alone Amy."

The simple statement caused Amy to lose all voice. When she didn't continue, Knuckles decided to do so instead.

"It's not easy, sitting here on this island, alone for days on end. I mean you were my first visitor for probably a month. That means I don't get to hear acknowledgements of friendship much either."

"I see…" Amy's voice was barely above a whisper. "…why haven't you told anyone about this?"

Knuckles gave a small shrug. "I have my reasons. Pride I guess is one of them. Also, if I let myself get distracted the Master Emerald could get stolen or worse. I should have asked you to leave already."

"Then why haven't you?"

Knuckles looked at Amy, his eyes piercing her own. "Because…I like the company. I like speaking with you. You're the only one who's bothered to come here out of want and not of a need. There's no Eggman around, you just came to see me. I might as well savour that fact while I can."

"Oh Knuckles…" Amy began solemnly. "…I had no idea. But if you like the company so much why do you act so hostile when it comes? Surely that persuades people _not_ to come unless they need to."

"I'm not good with people. It's a rarity for me to have a conversation half as long with anyone, especially with a girl."

"You're shy around girls?"

Knuckles chuckled. "You sound surprised." His smile turned into a small grimace. "My experiences with girls aren't as exactly the best. One keeps trying to steal the Master Emerald; the other nearly burnt my block off, and the other is just a fan girl who annoys me."

Amy frowned. "Hey! I'm sorry for supposedly annoying you but you can't blame me for your shyness!"

"No I can't. But I'm just throwing it out there. You're not annoying, not really."

Amy gave an exasperated sigh. "Good, don't make me get my thick hammer out on you." The last part she added in a joking tone, which made Knuckles smirk.

"Fine, I know what's good for my health. But like I said, I'd sure as heck appreciate you better than Sonic does, if I was given the chance."

Amy chuckled before playing with her hair in a coy manner. "You'd appreciate me huh? That's very sweet of you. I'm flattered I'd be getting all the appreciation."

Knuckles stiffened as he realised his verbal error. "I didn't mean it like that! I'd appreciate all my friends better than Sonic does!"

"Don't worry Knuckles; I know _exactly _what you meant." Amy gave a teasing wink, and upon seeing the echidna's blush deepen she laughed out loud. "Man, you really are hopeless around girls, huh?"

Despite the fact that he felt his cheeks starting to burn, Knuckles responded. "I told you so, smartass."

Amy's smirk remained. "I should make a joke, but I'll show you mercy. She laughed to herself a bit more before calming down and smiling at the echidna. Knuckles returned the smile and they began talking once more.

"So, would you like it more if I came along more often?"

Turning away from the evening sky, Knuckles faced Amy and nodded slightly before rubbing the back of his head. Knuckles hadn't noticed that so much time had passed while just chatting with the pink hedgehog. "I guess I would, like I said it gets lonely."

"Okay, I will. On one condition and one condition only."

Knuckles nodded, secretly dreading what the said condition would be.

"I want you…" Began Amy, clearly enjoying keeping Knuckles in suspense. "…to be as dedicated as me as you are to the Master Emerald, when I come along that is."

Knuckles blinked a few times before responding. "Are you serious?"

Amy stood up so that she was above the echidna. "Of course I am. I help cure my loneliness; you show me the dedication that Sonic seemingly can't. That's a fair trade, right?"

Knuckles also decided to stand up. "It depends on what you mean by dedication. I can't just ignore the Master Emerald being stolen in order to have a chit-chat with you."

Amy shook her head. "I didn't mean it like that. I just want to feel as if I matter to someone. You do it so well for the Master Emerald; I just want to know what it'd be like to matter that much for someone."

Knuckles nodded. "Alright, I'll give it a try. I might not be the best at it, but I'll persevere if it means you keep coming here. That will make it worth the effort."

A light blush covered Amy's cheeks. "Well, that's not a bad start…" Seeing the dumbfounded look on the face of echidna, she sighed. "…and he doesn't even know when he's scoring a point. Honestly…"

Knuckles simply raised an eyebrow and shook his head before responding. "I guess that means you're going now?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I wanna get home before it gets dark. Besides, all this talking has become exhausting. You're not easy to talk to, y'know?"

Knuckles let the joking insult slide and simply smiled. "Thanks Amy, this means a lot."

Amy smiled. "Its okay Knuckles. In fact, I'm really glad I came here today. At first I thought you were going to just be all anti-social, which you were for a while, but you've been really good to talk to. For that, I don't want you to be alone, so I'll come here as much as I can."

"Good. Without sounding sappy, I enjoyed this talk. It's the first time I've talked properly to a girl outside of saving the world."

Amy giggled. "You still need some practice…how about we start now? Before I leave?"

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Come on Amy; don't treat me like I'm an idiot. I'll learn in time."

The pink hedgehog seemed to ignore him. "Compliment me, and sound like you mean it. If you do it right I'll give you a gift."

"Now you're treating me like some sort of kid. Thanks a bunch."

"Come on Knuckles, you know you want to." Amy cooed teasingly.

Knuckles scoffed. _Only in your deluded mind_. He then paused, seemingly at a loss of what to say. A few moments of silence passed before Knuckles spoke up:

"Amy, I think you're a kind and generous person, one who will always do her best for those she cares about. You're also one of the most stubborn people I know, and that sheer force of will is something I find very admirable. You're also kinda…well…cute. I don't know!"

Amy was too busy blushing to notice the difficulty that the echidna was having in complimenting her. He had sounded so honest when speaking and no one else had ever said anything like that to her while being so earnest and forthcoming. It felt wonderful!

"Err…Amy? You there?"

The question shook Amy back into reality, and instead of responding verbally, the pink hedgehog started running towards Knuckles. Before the said echidna could react, Amy leaped and threw her arms around the echidna before pulling him into a tight hug. Knuckles was so shocked that he didn't notice either the blush forming on his cheeks or the fierce drumming of his heart.

"A-Amy! What are you doing!"

"That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me…thank you Knuckles." Replied Amy, her voice slightly muffled from being so close to the echidna.

Knuckles chuckled nervously. "I only said what came off the top of my head, there's probably more where that came from."

Amy retreated from the hug and smiled sweetly. "There's more where that came from too, keeping talking like that and you'll become a natural in no time."

"You mean that was the reward? Well, it looks like I'll have to keep working for it if that keeps happening."

Amy simply nodded and waved before walking away from the echidna. She suddenly turned back and gave a toothy grin. "I'll be seeing you again mister."

Amy again turned away and began the long journey home. Knuckles didn't take her eyes off her until she was out of sight. Once she was gone, he simply walked back up to the shrine of the Master Emerald and sat in his usual position, letting its ever-present glow light his back.

Now it was just him, alone again. The sun was setting on that same horizon once more.

However, this time it did not feel routine. It felt new, as if it had changed without changing at all. His outlook on that horizon had changed for the better.

All thanks to her. She would add another purpose to waking up to the same view each day. She would help make it worthwhile.

Knuckles smiled to himself as the last rays of the sun sank away form view.

Maybe when the sun emerged from the horizon once again, it would also bring change.

And he couldn't wait.

_End_

**A/N: I suppose this present is a little bit belated (I missed the original release date by around two months) but I hope it's still good enough so that you enjoyed it. Please review, I'll accept any constructive criticism that you may have, and any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm still learning.**

**Anyway. This is for you Emmy, I hope you and everyone else enjoys reading it!**

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